HERRING FISHERIES. 



the fhores of that great river where It falls into thfe 

 were in antient times the chief theatre of thfe 

 Scottifh fifheries. The coafts of Fifefhire, and the 

 Lothians, were full of towns, inhabited by a race of 

 experienced fifhermen, and intrepid feamen, who 

 navigated the mercantile trade of the king- 

 dom, who manned its (hort-lived navy, fought 

 the Englifh with defperate bravery, and rendered 

 their country refpeftable amongft foreign nations. 

 But thofe populous diftrifts being ruined by Crom- 

 -well, the inhabitants, thus deprived of their pro- 

 perty, (hipping, (lores, and utenfils, loft their fpirit, 

 as well as their abilities ; the fifheries, the towns, 

 and the coafting trade, gradually declined, and all 

 refemblance of former times vanifhed from the eye. 



The white fifheries were carried on by fmall buf- 

 feSjfrom 15 to 30 tons burthen, with clofe decks, and 

 one fnaft that ftruck -, upon this mail one of their 

 nets lay drying in the night-time, while they rode 

 by the other ; put out in head to catch herring for 

 bait, when they were at the white Mining, and thus, 

 during moderate weather, lay fnug in the water. 



About the beginning of March, theie buffes 

 went to the white fifhery, on the coafts of the 

 Orkneys : they faked their fifh in the hold ; and, 

 xvhen the weather Was dry, they put them afhore, 

 and dried them on the beeches and rocks. They 

 returned in May to the Firth, and wafhed the laic 

 out of their mud-fifh, and dried them on their own 

 beeches and ftages at home, then fold them, partly 

 for home confumption, and partly for exportation. 

 About the eighth or tenth of June they took in 

 their large nets, fait and cafks, and i'.-t out to the 

 fifhing of deep water herrings, in the feas frequent- 

 rd by the Dutch. When they had catched as 

 many as their fmall holds could conveniently flow, 

 bcfidcs their fifhing equipage and (lores, they run 

 to the coaft, put thefe alhore, took in a frefh fup- 

 ply of nets, fait, and calks, and continued fifhing 



till 



